Harris Re-evaluating Her Senate Candidacy

March 13, 2006|By Tamara Lytle Orlando Sentinel

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris fueled already rampant speculation about the status of her campaign for the U.S. Senate when she released a statement promising a "major announcement" about her future this week.

The Longboat Key Republican's campaign is barely stumbling along after revelations that she took thousands in illegal contributions from a defense contractor who bribed a California congressman.

And while she has had little to say about the matter, many others are talking, including Republicans worried about losing the Senate race and Democrats emboldened by the financial and political woes confronting Harris.

It didn't help when rumors circulated last week that Harris might not stay in the race.

On Saturday, Harris acknowledged all the speculation, notifying Republican activists at a meeting in Memphis that she was canceling her scheduled appearance there last night "as I prayerfully prepare with my family, friends and advisers to finalize the strategy for a major announcement next week concerning my candidacy for the U.S. Senate."

Harris continued: "I will continue to look to our founding fathers, who pursued their vision with integrity and perseverance, to discern the best course of action for the state of Florida and our nation."

Tallahassee Republican strategist Rick Wilson said Harris is likely feeling whipsawed, with some advisers pushing her to get out of the race and others telling her to keep running.

But Saturday's announcement, he said, will make it all that much harder to quash speculation that she's dropping out.

While she told The Associated Press last week that she was staying in, the pressure has not eased. Wilson and other Republicans have been worried that Harris will bring down other candidates if she runs.

"I have no happy fairyland vision that she can win," Wilson said.

Republican consultant Geoffrey Becker said the race has gotten out of her control. "It sounds like she's thinking of a way to get out," he said Saturday.

Republican lobbyist John "Mac" Stipanovich noted that the letter comes on the heels of Harris canceling some campaign appearances, although she had five events Saturday.

"If it's not a prelude to withdrawal, it surely is an unusual strategy," Stipanovich said.

Even before her latest crisis involving the illegal contributions, Harris faced some formidable obstacles in her quest to unseat Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson.

When her campaign began last year, unenthusiastic Republican leaders tried to lure others into the race. Then came the distraction caused by staff turmoil in her campaign and her congressional offices.

One big necessity for a successful campaign -- money -- hasn't exactly been in great supply. At the end of the year, Harris had $1 million in the bank, compared with Nelson's $8 million.

The polls have been pretty rough, too. In the latest Quinnipiac survey, she trailed Nelson by 22 percentage points. And that was before a defense contractor admitted giving her illegal campaign donations while asking her to help him win $10 million in federal aid.

Harris said she did not know the $50,000 was illegal, and she has since donated it to charity.

"Things are beginning to spiral out of control," said David E. Johnson of Atlanta, a pollster and GOP consultant with Strategic Vision LLC. "If she cannot right her campaign, the thing to do for the good of the party would be to get out."